18th-century American painting · art-to-room palette

Portrait of a Naval Officer Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Portrait of a Naval Officer by John Wollaston, with their share of the canvas, light reflectance, a room scheme and how the wall color shifts in north, south and evening light.

Quick answer

Put Light Yellow on most walls, use Light Red for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Warm Ochre to one bold piece. Soft Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Deep Umber works best in a single textile.

Artist: John Wollaston
Date: 1749–58
Movement: 18th-century American painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 52

Portrait of a Naval Officer by John Wollaston — John Wollaston, *Portrait of a Naval Officer*, 1749–58. The Art Institute of Chicago, open access. The bar shows each color's measured share of the canvas.

The 6 colors in this painting

Measured from the image and ordered by how much of the canvas they cover. LRV is how much light a color reflects, from 0 for black to 100 for white.

Ink Umber

#2E251B · 35.6% · LRV 2

Deep Umber

#3E3026 · 26.3% · LRV 3

Soft Umber

#564436 · 22.2% · LRV 6

Light Yellow

#D4BC95 · 8% · LRV 52

Warm Ochre

#A66D44 · 6.1% · LRV 20

Light Red

#E9A692 · 1.7% · LRV 47

Where each color lives in the painting

Left, every pixel of the canvas snapped to its nearest palette color. Right, the detail where each color is strongest.

Portrait of a Naval Officer reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Ink Umber is strongest — Ink Umber

Detail of the painting where Deep Umber is strongest — Deep Umber

Detail of the painting where Soft Umber is strongest — Soft Umber

Detail of the painting where Light Yellow is strongest — Light Yellow

Detail of the painting where Warm Ochre is strongest — Warm Ochre

Detail of the painting where Light Red is strongest — Light Red

Closest paint colors

The nearest color from each brand. “Near-identical” and “Very close” are hard to tell apart on a wall; with “Similar”, compare a sample with the painting. Brands with nothing close are left out.

Painting color	Closest paints	LRV	Use it for
Ink Umber `#2E251B`	Behr 790B-7 Bitter Chocolate Similar Sherwin-Williams SW 6006 Black Bean Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar	2	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep Umber `#3E3026`	Behr 780B-7 Bison Brown Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6006 Black Bean Close Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar Valspar 1011-8 Antique Burgundy Similar	3	One small textile
Soft Umber `#564436`	Sherwin-Williams SW 7027 Well‐Bred Brown Near-identical Behr N190-7 Moose Trail Near-identical Valspar 2011-10 Cabin Plank Similar Farrow & Ball No. 36 Mahogany Similar	6	Wood and frames
Light Yellow `#D4BC95`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6135 Ecru Near-identical Behr UL160-7 Pale Wheat Very close Valspar 3006-8A Dining Room Gold Very close Farrow & Ball No. 16 Cord Very close	52	Main walls
Warm Ochre `#A66D44`	Behr MQ4-5 Castellina Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7710 Brandywine Very close Valspar 3011-5 Autumn Surprise Close	20	One bold piece
Light Red `#E9A692`	Valspar 2003-6B Sweet Marmalade Very close Behr M210-4 Peach Shortcake Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6619 Sockeye Close Farrow & Ball No. 278 Nancy's Blushes Similar	47	Bed, sofa, curtains

Paint names belong to their brands. Matches are measured from screen colors and are approximate; Light & Pigment is not affiliated with any paint brand.

How light yellow looks in your light

The wall color shifted for the light it will live in. Check the version closest to your room before buying a sample.

North-facing room#C0B49F

Cool, even daylight pulls colors toward grey. Warm wall tones keep a north-facing room from feeling cold.

South-facing room#DDC59E

Strong warm sun pushes light colors toward cream by midday. If it reads too yellow, step down to a cooler version.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#BA9D73

Under warm 2700K bulbs colors turn honey-toned and dark colors read almost black. Matte finishes keep the look soft.

Try the palette in a room

Pick which painting color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and light follow your choices.

Walls

Bed, sofa, island

Bold piece

Wood takes Soft Umber and the rug border takes Deep Umber in every combination.

Mood board

Details from the painting next to the colors and materials that carry them into a room.

Light Yellow

Light Red

Warm Ochre

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for Portrait of a Naval Officer

Save this palette

A card with the painting, all 6 colors and a room scheme. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.

Save to Pinterest Download card

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FAQ

What colors are in Portrait of a Naval Officer?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Ink Umber (#2E251B, 35.6% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#3E3026, 26.3% of the canvas), Soft Umber (#564436, 22.2% of the canvas), Light Yellow (#D4BC95, 8% of the canvas), Warm Ochre (#A66D44, 6.1% of the canvas), Light Red (#E9A692, 1.7% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Use it with care. The lightest wall color in this painting has an LRV of about 52, so in a small room pair it with plenty of daylight or a lighter white on the ceiling.

Can I use this image on my own mood board?

The Art Institute of Chicago releases this image as public domain (cc0), so it can be reused freely.

Image: The Art Institute of Chicago, Public domain (CC0). Palette, posterized image, details and room views generated by Light & Pigment from that image. Colors look different on screen than on a wall, so always test a sample.